JANUARY 2022
MONTHLY
NEWSLETTER
GENERAL MACHINERY
The first Chamber Coffee of the year held at General Machinery.
2022 SALES RETREAT
Employees got to kick off 2022 with a sales retreat to get everyone up to date on the latest services
CONTENTS
LIVE WITH LARRY
01
GENERAL MACHINERY
03
MAINTAINER SPOTLIGHT
04
2022 SALES RETREAT
05
CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING
07
SAFETY ANNOUNCEMENT
08
ANNIVERSARIES
09
BIRTHDAYS
10
CORE VALUE COINS
11
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LIVE WITH LARRY
ANNOUNCEMENTS F R EE COVI D-19 H O ME TEST
Every home in the U.S. is eligible to order #4 free at-home COVID-19 tests. The tests are completely free. Orders will usually ship in 7-12 days. ORDER NOW
UPCOMING EVENTS
F E BRUA RY 18-19: P I T T S B U RG B U S I N ES S E X P O
Stop by on February 18 and 19 at the PIttsburg Business Expo held at the Meadowbrook Mall in Pittsburg, KS.
TRIVIA
Scan the QR code to be directed to the employee Facebook page to be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a prize.
WHAT WAS THE ORIGINAL NAME FOR CDL ELECTRIC?
QUARTERLY MEDIA CONTEST Submit a photo or video telling us what your position is at CDL and why you enjoy working in that position. Prizes include a $250 General Machinery gift card, $230 Arlo Doorbell, $150 tool set or $100 gift card. SUBMIT NOW
COMMUNITY GATHERS AT GENERAL MACHINERY General Machinery hosted the first Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce Chamber Coffee of the new year on January 6. This gave General Machinery the opportunity to show the community the renovations and updates done to the store under the advisement of Michelle Hampton, store manager. The focus of
the store has always been quality but for the new year, they are truly focusing on encouraging the community to shop local. They started the trend of shop local by working with local business owners to collect items to giveaway that morning. “Pittsburg and the surrounding areas never fail to support and represent when the occasion rises. With the weather turning cold it’s always a risk to host an event like this. I am very pleased with the event and showing off the hard work my team has put into General machinery.,” Michelle Hampton said. The goals of General Machinery are not only to sustain their current customer base but also to continue to grow by offering new services like small engine and golf cart maintenance and repairs.
KEN WELCH
RA ILROA D S I GN AL MA I N TA I N E R Hey CDL. I am Ken Welch and I have worked at CDL for almost three years. I am originally from Towanda, PA, and am now working as a Signal Maintainer in Ithaca, NY. This is my first job in the railroad industry, and I love that I get the freedom to do my job and complete tasks on my own, with help from others whenever it’s necessary. In my opinion, the most difficult part of the job is working in the cold elements, but again, I enjoy the fact that I work mostly by myself, with help from others when necessary. Outside of work, I enjoy hunting, fishing, shooting, woodworking, and sports. My wife of 11 years and I have two kids: a five-year-old girl and an 11-month-old boy. We love traveling to Key West, or Outer Banks for seafood and snorkeling. If I could choose one famous person to have lunch with, it would be Ryan Reynolds, as he seems like a fun guy to hang out with for the day. Interesting Fact About Me: I’ve been to 29 different countries, survived a house fire, and a tornado destroying our home three and a half years ago. My advice for someone first starting out in the railroad industry is to try to always do something you are interested in, because you are more likely to be happy and enjoy it. Keep an open mind and always try to learn something new and get out of your comfort zone.
JANUARY 2022
2022 SALES RETREAT EDUCATES EMPLOYEES ON THE FUTURE OF THE COMPANY.
Growth. That was the theme of this year’s Sales Retreat. On Friday, January 15 Shea McLoughlin, Director of sales support and training, and Dustin Seward, VP of marketing & sales, co-president of Serrmi, held a sales retreat to educate the marketing and sales team on the status of the company and marketing goals for 2022. Across the board, managers raved about employees and their dedication to the company but also highlighted the growth of new territories and sales.
Looking to the future of 2022 Mitch Becker, COO said “2022 has the potential to be the best year yet. Not for just CDL but J&A and Serrmi as well.”
for 2022 which include, employee retention and recruiting. The plan is to execute this goal by attending more career fairs and creating more opportunities for employees to network. One way they are encouraging networking “We can’t forget the horse that took us throughout the company for employees is the to the race,” Larry Seward CEO said. “We Facebook group CDL Employees. They highly will always take care of our current partners encourage you to join the group for chances to because without them we wouldn’t be where win prizes, ask questions about the company, we are today. We wouldn’t be growing at the communicate employee personal topics speed we are without them. We appreciate and engage with one another. The Human them and this is how we show our gratitude.” Resources team is also working on some internal initiatives which will be highlighted in The sales and marketing team heard from the weekly email updates. Human Resources which discussed their goals Kasey Gaddy, marketing coordinator discussed the importance of social media In business and how employees can help grow not only the company’s social media platforms but also the overall perception of the company. She explained this can all be done by simply following the companies on social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, interacting with a post by liking, commenting, and sharing, and lastly, employees creating content and tagging CDL on social media. “Salespeople are frequently on the road, working alone. However, they’re still our employees and the need to get together from time to time is extremely important for our culture and team building. People are everything at CDL, investing in our team and growing our people are the cornerstone to progress and development in our industry.” Shea said. In closing of the sales retreat COO, Mitch Becker discussed his hopes for CDL to succeed when he retires coming this April.
JANUARY 2022
CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING A SILENT KILLER
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the first month of the year is the worst for carbon monoxide poisoning. At least two people die each day from carbon-monoxide poisoning in January—three times the fatality rate recorded in August and July. Unintentional carbon monoxide exposure accounted for 15,000 emergency room visits annually between 1999 and 2004, with an average of 439 people dying each year. Fatalities were highest among men and senior citizens: Men because they are engaged in more highrisk behaviors such as working with fuel-burning tools or appliances and seniors because they are likely to mistake the symptoms of CO poisoning (headaches, nausea, dizziness or confusion) for the flu or fatigue. It should come as no surprise that CO deaths are the highest in winter (December is the second highest month). Cold weather increases the use of gas-powered furnaces as well as the use of risky alternative heating and power sources (portable generators, charcoal briquettes, propane stoves or grills) during power outages. It’s also understandable that the highest CO death rates are in colder states: Nebraska, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and North Dakota. By contrast, California has the lowest fatality rate.
SAFETY COMMITTEE UPDATE BECOME ELIGIBLE FOR A PRIZE BY COMPLETING YOUR WEEKLY HSI SAFETY TRAINING Employee’s have the chance to win a prize valued at $250 by simply completing their required weekly HSI safety training. Two prizes will be awarded July 1st and four will be awarded January 1st.
With these sobering facts it’s a good time to remember the following safety tips to prevent CO poisoning: • Have your heating system, water heater and any other gas, oil or coal-burning appliance inspected and serviced by a qualified technician every year. •Install battery-operated CO detectors on every level of your home. •Don’t use a generator, charcoal grill, camp stove or other gasoline or charcoal-burning device inside the home, basement or garage or outside the home near a window. •Don’t burn anything in an unvented stove or fireplace. •Don’t let a vehicle idle inside a garage attached to a house, even if the garage door is left open. •Don’t heat a house with a gas oven. If a CO detector sounds, leave your home immediately and call 911 from outside. Seek prompt medical attention if you suspect CO poisoning and if you or someone in your household is feeling dizzy, lightheaded or nauseated.
JANUARY 2022
ANNIVERSARIES 1 Year: John Krogen, Hillary Green,
5 Years: Albert Arsenault, Scott
William Conklin, David Roby, Eric
Bramlett
Tackkett
6 Years: Orlando Ortiz, Ai Leonard
2 Years: Timothy Burns, James
7 Years: Mitchell Becker
Patterson, Mark Biehl, Jaime Jimenez,
8 Years: Sandra Ellis
Michael Schroeder, Nicole Dickey
10 Years: Peter Beuchler, Michael
3 Years: Stacy Baum, Daniel Macias,
Holton, Chris Roland, Lowell Waite
Alissa Thurber, Jeremy Hutchison, Scott
12 Years: Kenneth Kmiec, John Mennenga
Bramlett, Garret Nair 4 Years: Patrick Redel, Joshua Tackett
KENNETH KMIEC
HVAC SERVICE MANAGER
13 Years: Debbie Smith
JOHN MENNENGA DIRECTOR OF MAINTENANCE & SENIOR ENGINEER
DEBBIE SMITH
ADM IN ASSISTA NT RA ILR OA D & COM P LIA NC E
“I’ve known Larry for many years and I enjoy being able to see the company grow and the opportunities I have been presented while working here.”
PROMOTIONS
Congratulations to the following on their recent promotions:
CHRIS FOSTER PROJECT MANAGER JESSICA SAGER DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS JOSHUA TACKETT SIGNAL CONSTRUCTION SUPERVISOR ANDREW WOOD SIGNAL SUPERVISOR JERRY RUSHING SIGNAL SUPERVISOR NOLAN RIFE PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR MATTHEW KING SIGNAL SUPERVISOR
BIRTHDAYS Kirk Conroy, Daniel Hix, Chris Roland,
Jeremy Hutchison, Braden Bowman,
Ryan Dowling, Gus Boyles, Marco
Jemal Lethridge, Luke Coleman,
Ibarra, Joel Chapman, Nolan Rife,
Michael Gibson, Bennei Roberts,
Dean Royal, David Wardian, Brad
Kenneth Beeson, Jeffrey Delaney,
Antle, Jake Beach, Christopher
Robert Rich, Todd Osment, Jacob
Bledsoe, William Conklin, Anthony
Wright, Clarence Gillespie, John
Merando, Henry Harrell, Brooke
Montgomery, Christopher Robinette,
Shanks, Michelle Hampton,
Shawn O’Neal, Kenneth Welch
JANUARY 2022
CORE VALUE COIN RECIPIENTS DECEMBER & JANUARY SA F ET Y F I R ST: Dan Roush James Wohl Teryl Barnow Brad Friedline Joseph Alexander Scott Bramlett Greg Dawson Tracy Freeman Robert Rhodes Sandy Ellis Terry Tullis Dennis Chartier Colleen Cignetti Hayden Compton Mike Gibson Robert Hawkins Velina Hawkins Kelcy Hurst John Laderer Chris Laforte Krista Lavery Michael Lawson
Ai Leonard Karen Leonard Mike McLeod Tammy McNaught Ali Omalley Dale Peak Devin Sage Debbie Smith Richard Spivey Janie Terry Dani Gardullo’ Charly Schnieder Richard Ivey Jason Sohosky Justin Hall Peter Beuchler Reggie Biggs Jimmy Bryson Lucas Clifford Forrest Collins Ben Corle
Jo Dial Ryan Dowling Andrew Drake Calrence Gilliespie Roy Gray Henry Harrell Michael Holtan Ed Johnson Eric Johnson James Jones Bernd Klos John Kragovich John Krizan Chase Lee Walter Lesher Richard Ochoa Mike Osment Todd Osment Leon Powers Patrick Redel Mark Reese Jeff Roberts
S ENS E OF U R GE NCY: Jake Taylor Brandon Crossland
CA N DO:
Jake Jungmann Josh Newport Shae Sandbert
Galloway Belt Brian Tillery
Brett Morrison Jacquelyne Pierce
Ben Delange TJ McDade John Laderer
Tera McFarland Steve Smith
QUALIT Y ABOVE A L L : TJ McDade Glen Hughes
Doug Campbell Brad Lindsay
O N E TEA M . ONE DR EA M . : Brad Antle Bruce Bauder Cody Gandy
Christopher Robinette Jerry Rushing Shawn Schemehorn Dale Smith Ralph Souders Matt Stewart Jerrad Vickers Kevin Waite Lowell Waite Ken Welch Jon Whitten Joel Wolfe Jason Worley Bryce Hendrickson Wes Barnes Trevor Thomas John Montgomery Cody Miller Brendan Mallo Bert Carr Jason Mill
Joey Alexander Jordan Hawkins Kevin Cox
Brooke Shanks
Nathan Martinez Nicole Hutchison Brett Morrison
Brian Tillery Matt Pendergrass Steve Smith